Example of reviewing goals through to next actions...

10-19-2005, 04:52 PM

I'm in the middle of a re-read of GTD so I apologize if this is covered in the book, but I'm especially interested in seeing if (how?) DA recommends reviewing your system from a top-down approach to ensure that your goals have projects defined to attain them, and these projects have next actions defined to complete them (the latter step I understand well).

Is is possible to see some examples of how you do your weekly review to ensure not only your projects are moving forward, but also so that you're moving forward with your goals.

Thanks!

P.S. As mentioned before, I'm interested in what DA specifically teaches since I don't currently feel comfortable customizing this system right yet. Being an ex-perfectionist (now that sounds cool!) I just want to set up a plain vanilla standard implementation of GTD for now.

I'm especially interested in seeing if (how?) DA recommends reviewing your system from a top-down approach to ensure that your goals have projects defined to attain them, and these projects have next actions defined to complete them (the latter step I understand well).

I like the description at the back of Ready For Anything, which is fairly specific, but should not be taken as binding. The review intervals are taken from memory, but are approximately correct. Here is the hierarchy:

Notice that a part of every weekly review is to review things at levels above projects. I look at everything every week, because there isn't that much in the 30K-50K region, honestly. I'm very comfortable with my focus areas, and that takes care of a lot for me. As DA says, at the higher levels, things are not always hierarchical: a current focus area may generate a 40K goal. In some sense, the hierarchy is ordered by the frequency of review needed. I don't put phony things at higher levels that are really someday/maybe things or slogans (Be all i can be). They are describable, real things that I want to start moving on now.

Example: I have a life goal of a very comfortable retirement plus passing on significant assets to my kids. (May not make this one )That ties in to a focus area (Finances), and generates a 1-2 year project to review finances. That's right- a year or more. Projects at 10K are things may have a scale of a month or so. Our broker is retiring, so one project at 10K is to replace him with one or more other financial professionals. But that is not a current project, because we have other projects to do first.

Hope this helps!

Comment

I'm in the middle of a re-read of GTD so I apologize if this is covered in the book, but I'm especially interested in seeing if (how?) DA recommends reviewing your system from a top-down approach to ensure that your goals have projects defined to attain them, and these projects have next actions defined to complete them (the latter step I understand well).

P.S. As mentioned before, I'm interested in what DA specifically teaches since I don't currently feel comfortable customizing this system right yet. Being an ex-perfectionist (now that sounds cool!) I just want to set up a plain vanilla standard implementation of GTD for now.

The book GTD basically says that you should think about each of 6 levels. There is little discussion, but he does say that the book is not meant to cover how to define goals or vision. You've already basically got what's covered.

So for goal setting strategies, examples, or inspiration, you'll need to look elsewhere. But there are many sources.

Comment

As DA says, at the higher levels, things are not always hierarchical: a current focus area may generate a 40K goal. In some sense, the hierarchy is ordered by the frequency of review needed.

That's interesting, because the GTD book says that one's priorities will sit in a hierarchy from the top down, but the 6-level model didn't seem hierarchical to me. I personally don't find the 6-level model helpful, so I designed my own hierarchy of goals with projects to achieve them.

I've also found it interesting how common the period of about 12 weeks is in goal-setting literature. Maybe everyone is just echoing someone else's idea, but I think it's an effective period of time: long enough to make substantial, measurable progress, but short enough to stay focused.

Comment

Is is possible to see some examples of how you do your weekly review to ensure not only your projects are moving forward, but also so that you're moving forward with your goals.

I thought this was a great example of the higher-level goal-setting not covered by GTD, so I'm taking the liberty of re-posting it from an earlier thread:

Originally posted by kewms

How do I plan? Big topic...

Twice a year, I sit down and figure out revenue goals, other business goals, and personal goals. This process includes looking at how I did against my goals for the last six months, and figuring out what I need to do in the next six months. There is very little project planning involved here, except I will run through my list of client projects to see how much of my revenue goal is already booked, how much is out there in the form of outstanding proposals, and how much is fantasy requiring more marketing on my part. I like to do this between Christmas and New Years in the winter, and during Fourth of July week in the summer.

Whenever I propose a major project, I'll have a pretty good idea how long it will take, both in clock time (billable hours) and calendar time (completion date). Once I actually win the contract, I create a project in my system, usually treating the major milestones as subprojects. (I use mindmaps, but a hierarchical outline would be functionally equivalent.) I'll also plan at least the first few actions for the first major subproject. If much time has elapsed between proposal and contract, I'll need to double check to make sure other commitments haven't intruded to push the completion date back.

Monthly, I review the list of major projects for the month, move things to or from Someday/Maybe as needed, and if needed check how I'm doing against my higher level goals. I try to do this the first weekend of the month. This is also when I review where I am on larger projects that take more than a month to complete.

Weekly, usually on the weekend, I do a more or less standard GTD Weekly Review, which includes looking at my calendar, blocking out time to work on the things I need to work on, moving things to Someday/Maybe when I run out of time slots, and so forth.

My time map is a more or less static document that I use to guide my weekly planning. It reminds me that I will *always* need to feed the cats in the morning, that I need to block out personal time for exercise, food, etc., and that it's completely useless to schedule phone call time in the morning (EST) because the west coast is still asleep. Essentially, the time map documents my "natural" schedule so that I can work around it in my task-oriented weekly planning. . .

Katherine

Comment

I've also found it interesting how common the period of about 12 weeks is in goal-setting literature. Maybe everyone is just echoing someone else's idea, but I think it's an effective period of time: long enough to make substantial, measurable progress, but short enough to stay focused.

I would prefer 13-week period as it matches the quarterly cycle of our life (quarters or seasons of the year).